What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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November 28 - December 4, 2021 WHATS UP! T11 Advance Pest Control 2 x 2 TAKE 5 Solution on page T23 Use the clues above and beside the grid to fill in the squares Gibson Chiro 3 x 2 BY ADAM THOMLISON TV Media Q: It seems that Rizzo the Rat isn't in the Muppet cast anymore. What happened? He and Gonzo made a good team. A: It depends who you ask. Some say he was dropped as part of the high-profile firing of Muppeteer Steve Whitmire ("CAVE iN"), but if you ask Riz- zo himself, he was shouldered out to make room for a new guy. Either way, it ain't pretty. Rizzo the Rat started as a background character but came into his own when he was tasked with co-narrating "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (1992) along- side Gonzo. That partnership bore fruit for several years after- ward, and Rizzo maintained his new, high profile. That is, until 2011, when he was barely seen and never heard in the big- screen hit "The Muppets." His screen time has been down ever since. In the next big-screen film, "Muppets Most Wanted" (2014), he was given enough time to say that he and some of the other characters had been shouldered out to make room for new Mup- pet Walter (voiced by Peter Linz, "Sesame Street"). This is, of course, a joke for the film, but in terms of screen time, he's right. Walter, a brand- new character without the de- cades of backstory that Rizzo boasts, has in fact been a fea- tured character in those two movies and some other recent productions. Meanwhile, Rizzo's screen time has decreased to the point that he's been completely absent from all of the recent Muppet shows and films; something like- ly to do with Whitmire's absence — he was fired in 2017 for "unac- ceptable business conduct" (per Muppet Studios). Some of Whitmire's bigger characters — including a certain famous green frog — were re- cast. Rizzo, however, hasn't been seen since. Though the rat may yet return — provided producers find the right new voice for him. Q: Is the guy who played Jason's friend on "The Good Place" the same actor who was in "Kong: Skull Island"? What else can you tell me about him? I thought he was great in both, even though they're very different roles. A: "Kong: Skull Island" (2017) is indeed a bit of an outlier on Eugene Cordero's resume. His role as Pillboi on "The Good Place," on the other hand, was right up his alley. Like so many of today's come- dy favorites, he came up through the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe. Since then, he's become a main player in TV cre- ator Michael Schur's personal troupe. Schur is one of the most suc- cessful sitcom creators of the moment, having created "The Good Place" as well as "The Of- fice," "Parks and Recreation" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," and Cordero is the only actor to have appeared in all four series. Mostly small roles ("The Good Place" was the only one in which he appeared for more than one episode), it's still an im- pressive run considering how successful each of those shows was. Cordero has been in demand from more than just Schur. More recently, he's had starring roles on sitcoms "Tacoma FD" and "Star Trek: Lower Decks," and supporting roles in many more. He's also been branching out in recent years. Starting with 2017's "Kong: Skull Island," he's been testing out dramatic and action-oriented fare. He also had parts in the big-screen musical drama "The High Note" (2020) and in Clint Eastwood's 2018 drama, "The Mule." Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Per- sonal replies will not be provided. Rizzo the Rat (left) and family in "The Muppets Take Manhattan" HOLLYWOOD Q&A Rogers 479-636-5590 • Springdale 479-756-1788 Eureka Springs 479-253-8967 www.advancepestcontrolnwa.com Family Owned, Competitively Priced, Quality Service Since 1981 PEST CONTROL | TERMITE FERTILIZATION | WEED CONTROL PRE-EMERGENTS 93 West Colt Square, Suite 3 Fayetteville, AR 72703 479.587.0227 www.thegibsoncenter.com Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Allergy & Stress Relief Introducing Knee Rejuvenation Therapy Using Knee on Trac It rejuvenates the knee by pumping blood & O2 into the joint to decrease inflammation & to reduce pain. Used for chronic knee pain, failed surgery, OA & others. $ 49 Special Includes consultation, evaluation & 1 knee trac session • Could knee rejuvenation help your knee pain? • Do you have OA in your knee or have been told that you have to have knee replacement? • Have you had knee replacement sugery & still have pain? • Is it hard to walk up stairs? For new patients only